Shelf for ladders.



A. 0CONNOR SHELF FOR LADDERS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR- 29,1911- Patbnted Nov. 6, 1917.

rio.

ARTHUR ooomvon, on WESTGATE, IOWA.

SHELF FOB- LADDERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

1 PatentedNov. 6,. 191"7.

Application filed March '29, 1917. Serial No. 158,360.

To all whom z'tmay concern: I Y

Be it known that .I, ARTHUnQCoNNoR, a citizen of the United States,residingat W'estgate, in the county of'Fayette, State of Iowa, haveinvented a new and useful Shelf for Ladders; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will en able others skilled in the artto which it appertains tomake and use the same.

The invention is a shelf for ladders and seeks to provide, as one of itsobjects, a shelf that can be hung conveniently onthe side of a ladderout of the wayof the workmen.

A further object is to provide, in such a shelf, means for attaching itat the back of a ladder also.

A still further object is to provide means for rigidly supporting theshelf when it is hung on the back of the ladder.

A still further object is to make the rigid supporting means adjustable,so that the shelf may be maintained in a horizontal position withvarious angles of inclination of the ladder.

Other objects will appear from the detailed description which follows.

In illustrating this invention, a particular design has been adhered tobut the invention is not to be confined to this especial design. Theright is reserved to make any changes or alterations compatible with theappended claims.

The same numerals of reference designate the same parts throughout theseveral figures of the drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the invention, showing it on the sideof a ladder.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a portion of a ladder with the inventionaflixed to the back thereof.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view, taken back of one of the supports of theshelf, to show clearly the manner in which the shelf is attached to therungs of the ladder.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. l.

The invention is shown attached to a conventional ladder composed of thelegs 1 and rungs 2. The invention itself comprises the substantiallyZ-shaped hangers comprising the upright parts 3, the upper horizontalparts 11, and the lower horizontal parts 8. Secured to the lowerhorizontal parts is a shelf board 4, and to the upright parts a back 5is attached by screws, 6.v A bracing rod 7 is attached between theuprightparts 3, of the hangers and has its ends suitably fixed in saidupright parts, and acts as a spacing brace between the two.

The lower horizontal parts 8 of the hang ers 3 have enlargements 9between which a rod 10 is suitably attached and acts 'asa' lower spacingbrace. The upper horizontal parts 11 of the hangers 3 have the dependingends 12 between which and theupper ends of the braces 13 slots'15,areformed to permit the attachment of the hangers to the bar 14. Thebraces 13 are attached to the upper horlzontal parts 11 and to theupright parts 3 of the hangers by suitable rivets or. the like 16. i

The bar 14, at each end is provided with slots 19 in which the upperhorizontal parts 11 engage,-the depending ends 12 abutting the bar onone faceand the upper ends of the braces 13 abutting this baron theother face. At its longitudinal center, the bar 14 is provided with aslot 17 for engagement with the rungs 2 of the ladder when the Fig. l,the slot 17 of the bar 14 being made to engage one of the rungs 2 of theladder and the shelf is connected .to the bar 14 by having the upperhorizontal parts 11 engage the end slots 19 thereof. The shelf is thenready to support a bucket or whatever else it may be desired to placeupon it, the shelf and its contents being then conveniently placed atthe side and out of the way of the Workman who may be on the ladder.

In case it is desired to place the shelf on the back of the ladder, itmay be conveniently attached on the back, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Theslots in the upper horizontal parts 11 (which previously engage theslots19 of the bar 14) are made to engage one of the rungs 2. The bar 14is then inserted between the rod 10 and the bottom 4 and one of itsdepressions 18 is made to engage the rod 10, whereupon the end of therod 14 is bent down so that its slot 19 can be made to engage the nextlower rung of the ladder, the bar 14 and upper horizontal parts 11 beingthus sprung apart by adjacent rungs 2 of the ladder.

lVhen the angle at which the ladder is inclined is changed, the shelfcan be moved to bring its bottom A into a horizontal position bydisconnecting the bar lt from the rung 2 andso arranging the bar (withrespect to the rod 10), by bringing another depression 18 intoengagement with the rod 10 that, when thebarla is again connected to therang 2, the bottom e: will be heldina horizontal positi'on.

It will be seen further that, to hold the shelf bottom 4: always in ahorizontal position, the point of engagement betweenthe bar 1% and rod10 approaches tl e end-of the bar 1& as the angle at whiclrthe ladderinclines from the vertical increases.

What is claimed is: l

1. A shelf forladd'e-rs comprising substantially Z-shaped hangers,spacing bars connecting. the hangers, a shelf'a=tt-acl1ed=b"etweenthehangers, and a bar having ace'i'rtrally disposedslot for engagement with {the rung of'the ladder and end slotsadapted-to receive the end of the hangers.

2. A ladder shelf, adapted for attachment at the backcor sides of aladder, comprising st'ibst'antially Z-shaped hangers, ash'elf attachedbetween the hangers, a spacing rod attach'edbetween the hangers and atadis tance below the bottonrofth-e shelf, and a masses bar having acentrally disposed slot for engagement with the rung of a ladder, thebar further having two end slots adapted to receive the ends of thehangers and having a series of depressions between the central slot andone of the end slots, whereby the bar may be used as a means forattaching the shelf at the side-of or on the back of a ladder.

3. A shelf for ladoersoomprisingZ-shaped hangers, ashelfattachedtherebetween, and abar c'on-nectible to the end of thehangers to swingthe shell: on the side oi": ladder or to supportitzonthe back thereof;

at. A shelf forladders comprising. Z=shaped hangers, a shelf attachedtherebetween, and abarconnectible to the ends of the hangers to. swingthe shelfion the side of a ladder or to support itxonthebaek thereof,the bar having means whereby the shelf when s'iipported on the back ofthe ladder canv be made-to assume ahoriz'onta-l position irrespective ofthe angle of inclination of the ladder. V

lntestimony whereof I: have signed my name-tothis specification in: thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

ARTHUR QCONNOR.

Witnesses:

LEO Cox-intuit, I M. L. GILLETT.

Ga nes ofi'this. patent may be obtained for five cents each byaddressing thefioomniissionerbi llatents, Washn-gton, 1). C.

